Collapsible mandrel



Nov. 30, 1943. w. NASH ETAL 2,335,602

coLLAsIBLE MANDREL Original Filed June 27, 1938 Patented Nov. 30, 1943 2,335,602 coLLAPsIBLE MANDREL Leonard W. Nash, Dan1ascus, and George A. Martin, Salem, Ohio, assignors to E. W. Bliss Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of Dela- Ware Original application June 27, 1938, Serial No.

216,174, now Patent N0. 2,268,125, dated December 30, 1941.

Divided and this application October 8, 1941, Serial No. 414,150

3 Claims.

This application is a division of our application Serial No. 216,174, led June 27, 1938, now Patent No. 2,268,125, granted December 30, 1941.

Our present invention relates to the art of ceiling strip material and aims to provide certain improvements therein. More particularly, it relates to a collapsible mandrel in an apparatus for coiling hot strip metal, both ferrous yand nonferrous, although it is applicable equally well for coiling such strip and analogous material in the cold state.

Heretofore difficulty has been experienced in satisfactorily ceiling hot strip metal directly upon and at its speed of delivery from the last stand of a bank of hot rolling mills: (1) because 0f the buckling and deforming of the strip upon starting it around the mandrels of coilers now in use with the resulting waste accruing from such deformation; (2) because of the diflicultyof stripping tightly wound coils from the mandrel due to the tendency of the hot metal to strongly adhere and bind on the mandrel; and (3) because of the tendency of the strip to telescope upon being coiled.

According to our present invention the foregoing diificulties are overcome and the strip received from the mill is quickly, neatly and tightly coiled and discharged from the mandrel ready for storage or presentation to the pickling baths.

The invention resides in the novel construction of a collapsible mandrel and will be better understood from the detailed description which follows when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein we have shown a practical embodiment of our invention, and wherein Fig. 1 is an axial section through the mandrel with certain parts thereof shown in elevation;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the mandrel as viewed from the left end of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section through the mandrel taken substantially along the plane of the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig i is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing the mandrel segments in collapsed relation.

Referring to the drawing, the collapsible mandrel 3l, when fully expanded, has a truly cylindrical surface contour which is conducive to better and more efl'icient coil formation. More specically, the mandrel 3l is of the segment and wedge type and comprises a plurality of arcuate segments 32 circumferentially disposed about a rotatable core 33, the said segments being axially spaced apart by a plurality of wedge elements 34, the segments 32 and wedges 34 being connected to the core or to a part xedly carried by the core through the medium of links 35 and 36 respectively. The segments and wedges are mounted for simultaneous movement axially of the mandrel by being connected toone end of a shaft or rod 3l througha disk 38 mounted on said shaft, and Z-shaped connecting elements 39 mounted on said disk 38 and extending into interior circurnferential recesses 4U and 4| in the segments and wedges respectively adjacent their discharge ends. As an aid in assembling the arcuate segments 32 and the wedges 34 into cylindrical form around the core 33, plates 42 are employed for connecting pairs of the Z-shaped elements together.

Upon inspection of Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings it will be apparent that the links 35, which are connected to the arcuate segments 32, are somewhat longer than the links 33 which are connected to the wedges 34. These links are made of different lengths so that as the rod 31 is moved outwardly, that is to the left in Fig. 1, the wedges 34 will move radially inwardly more rapidly than will the segments 32, through which cooperative action it will be appreciated that the movement of the segments 32 will not be hampered or interfered with during collapsing and expanding the mandrel. The inner faces of each of the arcuate segments 32 at the lateral sides thereof, are preferably ilat and lie in a common plane of the plane chord of the cylinder of which said segments form a part. It will also be noted that as herein disclosed, four segments are employed and the inner faces of these are preferably disposed at substantially right-angles to each other and when the mandrel is collapsed the inner faces of these segments form substantially a square prism as will be apparent from inspection of Fig. 4. For cooperation with the inner faces of the segments 32 the wedges 34 have their outer faces disposed at substantially right angles to each other and are so dimensioned that when they are in expanded relation to the core their cuter faces will lill the gaps between the edges of the arcuate segments to provide a truly cylindrical surface.

To facilitate the assembly of the arcuate segments 32 with respect to the core 33, the links 35 of each segment are connected to a filler block 43 which is mounted Within a slideway 44 in the core. To insure the driving action of the segments 32 by the core 33 during rotation thereof in addition to the driving action provided by the links 35, which are connected to depending ears 45 on the segments and pins disposed in grooves 43 in the filler blocks 43, each filler block is formed with lugs 6'.' disposed longitudinally between the links 35 and extending radially between the ears 45 on the segments. Preferably the discharge end of the mandrel is curved or beveled inwardly, as indicated at 4S, to vfacilitate the dis'- charge of the coil therefrom.

The mandrel is preferably rotated through the core, the links, and the ear and lug connections above described by having the core connected for rotation by the shaft of a driving unit and is collapsed by the outward movement of the rod 37 as more fully explained in my aforementioned Patent No. 2,268,125. The collapse of the mandrel is designed to be eected upon the completion of coiling and precedent to stripping the coil from the mandrel. any adherence of the innermost convolution of the coil with the mandrel or any frictional bind exerted by the coil that is resistant to stripping will be relieved by the substantially radial collapse of the mandrel.

The winding of strip metal on the mandrel and the stripping of the wound coil from the mandrel are described in detail in my aforementioned patent. It will further be appreciated that the mandrel is adapted for use with strip material other than hot ferrous strip and although we have shown a preferred and operative embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that We do not wish to be limited to the specific construction and arrangement of parts described since these may be varied within the range of engineering skill without departing from the spirit' of the invention, as defined in the accompanying claims.

What we claim is:

l. AA collapsible mandrel having a fixed core and a normally substantially cylindrical surface formedv by a plurality of elements circumferentially disposed about the core and movable with relationthereto, said elements being divided into twO; sets, means for simultaneously moving the elements of both sets axially and radially relatively to the core; the means for moving the ele- It will be apparent that'r ments axially comprising a member extending through the core and connected to the ends of the elements, and links connecting the core with the elements of the respective sets, the links connected to one set of elements being so disposed as to cause said set of elements to move radially more rapidly than the other set.

2. A collapsible mandrel having a xed core and a normally truly unbroken cylindrica1 surface formed by a set of arcuate segments the inner faces of which are angularly disposed with respect to one another and a set of wedges between thesegments having angularly disposed sides cooperating with the inner faces of the segments, both sets of elements being circumferentially disposed about the core in radially spaced relation thereto, means for simultaneously moving the segments and the wedges both axially and radially with respect to the core, and links connecting the core with the segments and the wedges, the links connected to the wedges being so disposed as to cause the wedges to more radially more rapidly than the segments as both are simultaneously7 moved axially.

3. A collapsible mandrel having a fixed core and a normally truly unbroken cylindrical surface formed by a set of arcuate segments the inner faces of which are angularly disposed with respectY to one another and a set of wedges between the segments having angularly disposed sides cooperating with the inner faces of the segments, both sets of elements being circumferentially disposed about the core in radially spaced relation thereto, means for simultaneously movu ing the segments and the wedges both axially and radially with respect to the core, and links connecting the core with the segments and the wedgesthev linksiconnected to the wedges being shorter than thek links connected to the arcuate segments whereby the wedges will move radially more rapidly than the segments as both are simultaneously moved axially.

LEONARD W. NASH. GEORGE A. MARTIN, 

